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Oneida family that lost a son and four grandchildren in a fire, are glad for the help

Firefighters from the Six Nations Fire Department in Brantford assist an Ontario Fire Marshall investigator as they sift through a burned out home on Townline Road following a fire Wednesday that has left a man and four of his children dead at the Oneida settlement, south west of London on Thursday. (CRAIG GLOVER, The London Free Press)

A man who lost his son and four grandchildren in a devastating house fire last week says an outpouring of community support is helping the family cope.

Ken Antone — whose son, Kurt Antone. died along with four young children in the fire in Oneida, southwest of London — told The Free Press this weekend the surviving family members are grateful for the aid they’ve received.

“I can tell you that the support is real tremendous, I can tell you that much,” Antone said in some of the family’s first public comments since the blaze last Wednesday. “It’s really, really something.”

Asked about the well-being of the mother and four other children who were not home at the time of the fire, Antone declined comment.

“It’s too emotional” to discuss, he said.

But it’s clear the blaze has hit a nerve both on the settlement and in surrounding communities. Several fundraising efforts are underway, including an online campaign that had raised more than $25,000 in just two days after being launched Friday.

In comments on the fundraising effort’s homepage, a woman identifying herself as a relative of the victims indicated how deep the need is for the family.

“The family is in dire need of everything from clothing to furniture,” writes Diana Doxtator, who indicates she’s the aunt of the grieving mother.

“My niece and her surviving children lost everything in the fire. Our family’s goal is (to) raise enough money to help build her a new home for her and her children.”

None of the children killed in the blaze have been officially identified. But according to published reports, a three-month-old is among the dead. Post-mortems on the remains of five people will be carried out Monday in Toronto, Middlesex OPP said last week.

The fire broke out midday Wednesday, razing the wooden two-storey home on Townline Road in an isolated part of the settlement. Police and fire officials continue to investigate the cause of the fire.

The blaze has also created political outrage. Randall Phillips, chief of the Oneida Nation of the Thames, called the fire a “perfect example” of the housing crisis faced by First Nations communities nationwide.

He said the federal government turned down an application from Oneida for money to upgrade 50 homes on the settlement. All the money went to indigenous communities in Canada’s north, Phillips said.

Following the fire, Carolyn Bennett, minister of indigenous and northern affairs, said she reached out to Phillips. The federal government is committed to “closing the unacceptable housing gap” for indigenous people, she said.

MP Charles Angus, the federal NDP aboriginal affairs critic, said the Liberal government must carry some responsibility for this and other similar events.

“Little children are dying,” he told The Free Press last week. “People are living in risky and dangerous conditions.”

Local First Nations are leading the rally to help the surviving family members. “Our native communities are made of up large extended families and we take that approach when dealing with each other,” said Ray Deleary, executive director of Atlohsa Native Family Healing Services in London.

WHERE AND HOW TO GIVE:

Atlohsa, at 109-343 Richmond St., is accepting donations of toys and clothing for the boys – ages six, eight and 10 – and for a 12-year-old sister who wears women’s size small, and clothing for their mother.

Donations can also be made at the N’Amerind Friendship Centre, 260 Colborne St. London.